Kitchenaid dishwashers are manufactured by Whirpool as are most Kenmores and they all essentially similar if you look inside. The Kitchenaids with the prefix KUDS have the food grinder and the 4 arm spray arm on the bottom which was a traditional Kitchenaid design. The models prefixed KUDE have an S shaped spray arm and no food grinder but a filter which occasionally needs to be rinsed out.. Otherwise they're the same. Perhaps every few weeks if that. As the number portion of the model increases 30,40, 45, 50, etc. the features and cycles increase as well as how quiet it is. As far as reliability they're probably no worse than other brands but it is annoying when it happens. Ours died after 11 months, thankfully with one month remaining on the warranty, so I quickly bought the extended warranty. I would advise it with any dishwasher these days. One year is not enough anymore.. That's how they keep the prices down, they removed a year or two of warranty that you used to get built into the price. They clean very well though. The one thing I think is missing (verify it first) from the model you're looking at that I find really useful is the "one hour wash" cycle. You' may have to move up to the KUDS40 series or higher to get that.. it's well worth it. Otherwise they take more than 2 hours to wash and that doesn't include dry time. If you're doing a couple of loads a day you may really appreciate that option. It washes just as well in an hour as on the regular cycles.and doesn't use much more water or popwer. .We use the one hour wash cycle 98% of the time. I hate waiting for dishes to be done. The one hour wash doesn't include drying time either, that'll add another 20 minutes if you select heated dry, but they dry really fast without heated dry if you pop the door open right after they're washed.
As for service if something does go wrong, I found them fast and efficient but still had to wait a week till the part came in.

I asked Kitchen Aid about the difference between the 30 and the 35. They're identical, except that the 35 will take a custom panel.

I've seen some poor reviews of the 30 and last year, when CR was rating kitchen appliances, the 30 didn't get a very good rating and was not one of their recommended buys. I'm probably going to get the KUDE48 and suck up the fact that we have to clean the filter every once in a while.

On a positive note, after looking into the 1 hr wash cycle issue from pkguy's comments, it looks like the KUDS30 does indeed have a 1 hour wash cycle now, so that's a relief and would come in handy. Honestly, for what I want, it seems my choices are few. I might just have to take the plunge and hope I don't get the "lemon" version of the KUDS30.

We had just ordered the KitchenAid KUDS30FXSS after finding mostly positive reviews. Then I decided to double check reviews as problems with a dishwasher can really make life miserable. I found a bunch more negative reviews that I somehow missed the first time around. So, we reopened our search. We are now looking at the Bosch 800 Plus series and the Miele Futura Classic.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bosch 800 Plus vs. Miele Classic

Our new Kitchenaid DW is a POS compared to the old one it replaced. All the hardware has been cheapened to the point of near non-functionality. The wheels don't roll well or track, the sliders don't particularly slide, even though it has a SS interior it feels cheap and plastic. The whole thing weighs about a third of what the old one did, the motor is tiny in comparison. I don't think this is the result of advanced composite materials and high end engineering, but rather making everything as thin and minimal as necessary so that it won't break within the first 90 days. All bets are off for the next 90. It does seems to wash dishes adequately, but I don't see it lasting any period of time.

One of the common complaints that I saw on this model is of the upper rack wheels breaking and the rack falling down on top of the lower rack. This model has been around for years, so maybe that is an old problem that has been rectified. I am sure that they make tens of thousands of those wheels in a batch, so a bad batch can affect a lot of customers. Of course, if they had good quality control, a bad batch would not make it to the customer.

I have a KA dishwasher that is 8 years old. It was a top of the line Architect model when I purchased it from Sears in 2005. I think we paid around $850 for it or so. Maybe slightly less.

Anyways, its been fine. No leaking, never broken. It does have a food grinder in it. My husband doesnt always love the interior set up, but you live and learn. I dont have a problem with it. and more importantly, its never broken down.

Have you been to Dishwashers info.com and read their review of this dishwasher?

Can't speak for OP, but I did see their review. Such reviews can help in a purchasing decision but they only cover how the dishwashers perform when brand new. Things can change quite a bit over time with normal wear and tear.

With this model, I saw several reviews about the upper rack wheels breaking and even the upper racks falling down onto the lower rack. That and KA's customer service seems to have numerous online complaints. Those are definitely red flags to me.

Of course, negative reviews should be taken with a grain of salt, but can show a pattern of problems to be on the look for.